Superparasitism in the Fruit Fly Parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the Implications for Mass Rearing and Augmentative Release.

Pablo Montoya,Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud,Pablo Liedo

doi:10.3390/insects3040900

Pablo Montoya, Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/insects3040900

Copy DOI

Abstract

Superparasitism, a strategy in which a female lays eggs in/on a previously parasitized host, was attributed in the past to the inability of females to discriminate between parasitized and non-parasitized hosts. However, superparasitism is now accepted as an adaptive strategy under specific conditions. In fruit fly parasitoids, superparasitism has mainly been studied as concerns the new association between Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), wherein this phenomenon is a common occurrence in both mass rearing and field conditions. Studies of this species have shown that moderate levels of superparasitism result in a female-biased sex ratio and that both massreared and wild females superparasitize their hosts without detrimental effects on offspring demographic parameters, including longevity and fecundity. These studies suggest that superparasitism in this species is advantageous. In this paper, we review superparasitism in D. longicaudata, discuss these findings in the context of mass rearing and field releases and address the possible implications of superparasitism in programs employing augmentative releases of parasitoids for the control of fruit fly pests.

Highlights

Most parasitoids are able to recognise and reject hosts that were previously parasitized by conspecifics or by themselves
Models of superparasitism as an adaptive strategy in solitary species are based on the assumption that superparasitism has no fitness consequence for the surviving larvae [6]
In the case of fruit fly parasitoids, some evidence of superparasitism by females of several species are scattered in the literature, but superparasitism has been studied mainly in the context of the new association between the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), which has been introduced in Mexico

Summary

Introduction

Most parasitoids are able to recognise and reject hosts that were previously parasitized by conspecifics or by themselves. In the case of fruit fly parasitoids, some evidence of superparasitism by females of several species are scattered in the literature, but superparasitism has been studied mainly in the context of the new association between the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), which has been introduced in Mexico. This behaviour is a common occurrence in mass rearing and under field conditions [5,17,18]. We synthesise the main findings related to superparasitism in this new association and discuss the possible implications for control programs aimed at managing fruit fly pests through the augmentative release of parasitoids

Superparasitism and Biological Control

The Case of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata

Manipulating Mass-Rearing Conditions

Superparasitism in Other Fruit Fly Parasitoid Species

Findings

Conclusions and Future Perspectives